ARTICLE

ARTICLE: ARE YOU A TELEVISION ADDICT?

Have you ever had the feeling of not moving from the sofa and not being able to close your eyes while you are watching television? Do you remember Caroline, the main character in Poltergeist? She was a lovely but disturbing girl; kind and innocent... However, she was absorbed by television. Can you imagine that anything similar could happen to you?

If you have this profile, maybe you are a television addict. This kind of people are anxious to watch just anything on television, no matter what. Even when they are out in the street they keep searching for those shop windows where they can find a TV set on in order to calm down. Another sympton is to have their thumb ready to press the on-button of their remote control and avoid all kinds of communication when they arrive home. Communication is one of the lacks that television addicts have. In my opinion, television addicts usually show apathy and physical passivity as if they were mesmericed. It can be very dangerous; they depend on an electric machine that, in many occasions, misinforms or turns you into a vegetable. It makes us behave like stereotypes.

So what can you do if you are a television addict? As in the other addictions, the most important clue is to be aware of it and demonstrate a strong attitude to change it. One alternative activity is to enjoy going out, such as going for a walk up the mountains, the beach or the country -the view is amazing! Reading is another recommended way of using leisure time. It is vey important to recover your brain and also your imagination. And what about talking? Most of the time, our brains do not receive any interesting information when we watch television. If you talk to people, it will make you forget this diabolic machine and they will consider you less weird.

To sum up, and, of course, if you are not able to cope with this addiction, the best option is to ask a doctor, although you can always throw the television out of the window- do not forget to open it before! (S.A)